Rain boots and Car Washes

I am so blessed to have a nice little weekend on Tuesdays right after my work week starts. It's the perfect day to sleep in (or not as the case usually is), sip on a mug of tea, ride my bike, and as today went - dance in the rain! Our society is built on milestones of reaching adult hood. You go to college, get married, have kids, buy a house..and that's what it means to be a grown up. However, there are some pretty exciting moments that get overlooked if that's what defines a person's identity and life course. For example, today I'm pretty excited about the tax return I got back as a result of filing all on my own! Feeling pretty spiffy :) I'm also enjoying the process of keeping up the maintenance of a car. Today is new tire day, man I love the smell of mass amounts of rubber, and also car wash day. I have always been guilty of driving through the car wash and getting on with my life, but why? Turns out washing a car with a bucket and suds is extra fun in a pair of rainboots. The sun was shining and it looked like I just might be done before that changed. Instead, just as I was getting ready to do the final rinse, it started pouring. I hardly had to use the hose and my favorite yellow rainboots kind of completed the experience for me. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if my sister was home to dance with me in the warm drops. :) Happy moment number three is my herb garden. It's really starting to smell like a good recipe waiting to happen. I love watering it because my whole room smells like a good Italian marinara. Mmm.

Altogether, I'd say that's a pretty great series of reasons to be happy it's Tuesday and I'm an adult.

Happened Upon Truths in Portsmouth

A bunch of Little Things

This last week flew by in a blur. I sometimes feel like I work for some secret intelligence agency because it is one of these things where "what I do at work, stays at work." I would be dancing with HIPPA to try and share my day from 8-5. I may not be able to post the cute things the kid said, or the amazing case I learned from, or my excitement in a correct nursing diagnosis. However, my experience with those things, or how it made me feel, or what I learned from my day, that is mine and that's what I want to take home with me anyways. In a vague way, this was my week. I felt that I helped lighten the burden of an overwhelmed mother just slightly, I felt that those calls I would have held my breath during a couple months ago were just detective cases that we worked through, and the occasional conversation that left a bitter taste in my mouth was just a brief moment. I found times to tell parents they were doing a great job, moments to reiterate their concern and present a potential solution, and times where a touch on the shoulder made a big difference. On Thursday I opened a dove chocolate as a reward for an especially difficult conversation and found this perfect quote, "You are exactly where you are supposed to be." I realize you shouldn't read into a quote on your tea bag or chocolate wrapper any more than a fortune cookies predictions, but timely words are still appreciated. Other little things in my week that made it all worth it were the following:

* I took my bike out for it's first ride, 7 miles of "I love my bike, I love my bike!"

* I paid off my third loan and received the Sallie Mae email "It's been nice working with you." I couldn't agree more.

* I wandered through Fred Meyer's with my dad looking at pots for my herb garden and found the perfect one. I now love staring at the top of my dresser, and it even smells good :)

* My dog still greets me at the door with a wink and then sticks out her tongue. I love her. I also love taking her for walks with the leash I bought in Rhode Island. She is the best furry roommate.

* I felt like an adult and figured out how to file my taxes. Happy Dance!

* I had just the slightest sunburn from a gorgeous weekend. 

It was...a week full of little pleasures. Here's to a refreshing weekend before the next one!

 

 

Herb Garden-ing

This was by far my best lunch break so far. Reason number 17 or so of why I'm happy to work so close to home. Melissa had to head back to school so as a last hoorah we decided to plant my herb garden. I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to gardening, but I do know that I like cooking with herbs and I enjoy the feeling of dirt under my fingernails. Also, herbs are supposedly easy to keep alive. I found these cute little seed pellets that come in their own portable green house and since it was too early to find anything leafy to just put in my window box, I decided starting from the beginning sounded like an adventure. Here's to growing something edible and keeping it alive!

Tulips on Easter

The tulip festival has become a yearly must see for me. This was the first year that I noticed the sweet smell though. Each row I walked by I decided "now this is my favorite color, no this one." I never did decide, but I took pictures from every angle of every color so if I ever do decide, I'll have the perfect shot. Mostly though, it was just a beautiful way to enjoy the sunshine-y weather of Easter.

Salt, Sand, Sea

This is one of my favorite quotes. The beach is one of those places that I can't visit without feeling revived by the time I leave. This evening I came home smelling like the campfire, my hair thoroughly salty and windblown, and leftover sand still stuck between my toes from our short beach jog. And somehow, all of those things together represent a day full of happiness spent with a bunch of my most loved people. As I wrote in the sand, and was reminded throughout the day, Life is Good!

My "Giant" Excitement

Pay day and Spring weather couldn't have coordinated better with the arrival of my beautiful new bike. I knew that I wanted a new way to enjoy my work commute...all 6 minutes of it. :) With this in mind I wandered over to my local bike shop and eyed what they had in stock. I left with a catalog in hand and just moments later I had found the perfect one. After test riding others they already had in the store, and waiting... not so patiently, for the dream bike I had ordered, it came! I gave it a thorough test of gears, speed bumps, balance, and fit...but really, my heart was set from the beginning. Conveniently it was just as great in person as I had hoped! Meet my new favorite possession, transportation, and waiting to be named...bicycle.

P.S. When I arrived to pick it up, they were happy to present me my new bike, rose and all. This girl's day has been made!

   

A Sister...(and I have two!)

Needless to say, I'm feeling loved right now. A card from each of my sisters in the same week! So thankful to say this quote fits for both of them. I love you girls! Can't wait to be in the same place, all three of us, to wander about and love life together. :)

P.S. On Tuesday of Spring break, I got my wish. The three of us spent the day wandering and loving life. I couldn't help but capture the fun times on my camera. Here are those moments spent drinking coffee, enjoying the waterfront, and walking throughout the beautiful brick buildings of Portland.

Jars and Blooms

I am so relieved that March is here! A couple years ago I started a habit of buying myself flowers on Fridays.
Occasionally I get lucky and the flowers  last a couple weeks, but on those Fridays that I don't have flowers in my room, I go browse, smell, and envision the blooms in one of my favorite vases until a certain bouquet feels just right. I also quickly learned that February means flowers that cost at least twice as much. That's when I pull out the fake ones and spritz them with air freshener or perfume. But as soon as March arrives, I'm back in the floral department. These are my first flowers of spring. The window box that they occupy will soon become my herb garden but until the seeds start getting leafy, it seemed like a cheery way to fill it. This is the view that makes waking up in the morning, not so bad at all. :)

Some Things I've Learned Lately

Among a variety of classics, language learning tools, and cookbooks, I own a book titled "Things I've Learned Lately" by Danae Jacobson. Every few months I pull it off the shelf and read through her paragraphs of discoveries about life, what makes us tick, and what really matters. This evening as I was sitting on my floor just loving on my dog, this book caught my eye. I flipped it open looking for that perfect page that would reflect the words I must be feeling but hadn't managed to put together myself. And I found it!

"I've learned that...
Dogs really are man's best friend - not so much
that they are ours, but we are theirs,
Heaven's got to be something special,
Coincidences are really 'God things,'
And love always trusts, always hopes."

I have been learning at least 5 things a day for the last 6 months. Everything from the cure to the common cold, to which hospital accepts which insurance, to which procedures require an appointment, which taxi service to call, which prescriptions to call in versus escribe, which doctors will agree with me on which points, and of course, which calls I'm hoping I'm prepared to take. But these are just the logistics and the procedures.

Really...

I've learned that even over the phone, a smile goes a long way
Some prefer to talk and others to listen
It never hurts to tell someone they are doing a great job
And at the end of the day, with some hard work and prayers for compassion....
someone will be thankful I called back, and that one makes it all worth it.

(It may not be obvious, but this picture includes my spinning best "furry" friend, Meisa)

An Apron, My Favorite Dishes, and The Produce Section

In the last week I have seen my first blossoms of spring, walked home from work, fallen in love with a cute bicycle, and left work with the sun still shining. I am overjoyed for the return of Spring! It has also motivated me to browse for new recipes and keep my apron more company. I have been enjoying the produce section at the grocery store and as a result, have discovered some new ways to turn veggies into entrees. I also have to thank my parents for the beautiful dishes I got at Christmas that make cooking that much more fun! Recipe number one is a veggie swirl and recipe two is somewhat of a garden bake. It you feel motivated by the pictures, look below for complete directions. They conveniently use very similar ingredients :) Enjoy!

Veggie Swirl:
1. Saute 1 onion with 2 cloves of garlic. Salt, pepper, and thyme to taste.
2. Paint a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom of your selected dish and cover with nicely sauteed ingredients from above.
3. Slice potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash in equal sized pieces.
4. Layer in a spiral with desired pattern.
5. Drizzle another thin layer of olive oil and more salt, pepper, and thyme over top.
6. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes.
7. Uncover, sprinkle a thin layer of grated Parmesan over the top and continue baking an additional 30 minutes. 
8. Try and let cool before getting too excited and burning off your precious taste buds.

Garden bake
1. Slice zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes. 
2. Layer in a dish by each veggie
3. Sprinkle diced green onion (scallions) over the top
4. Mix salt (just a touch), pepper (a noticeable sprinkle), oregano (until it smells Italian), feta (about 3 handfuls) and olive oil (3 tablespoons) in order to spread evenly. 
5. Drizzle remaining ingredients over the dish. 
6. Bake for 1 hour or until ingredients are the perfect balance between crunchy and baked that you enjoy. (My dish met that requirement at 75 minutes)